Domestic hot water (bathrooms,
employee kitchen, lab, and tasting
room sinks) is provided by 40-gallon
domestic water heaters, not connected
to the solar thermal system.

SunWater’s “Polysun” analysis of
the system shows that the winery
can expect it to heat 650 gallons of
water on an average day, approximately
182 million BTUs (equivalent
to 2,000 gallons of propane) per year.
With the cost of propane in Sonoma
County hovering at $3 per gallon
in 2010, Williams Selyem will save
$6,000 annually on propane costs, and
even more as fuel costs increase.

“The winery system is eligible for a
30% federal Investment Tax Credit,”
explains Justin Weil, President of
SunWater Solar. “Winery owners
may also be able to take advantage
of accelerated depreciation tax
breaks. The system may also be eligible
for the CSI-Thermal commercial rebate,

expected in Fall 2010. When
the rebate calculator for commercial
solar thermal systems is announced,
we will have a better idea of the
rebate’s value.”

Conclusion

“It was an honor to help the Kunde
family advance their sustainable
winemaking practices,” says Smits.
“Their solar water heating system
provides a model to other wineries
wanting to reduce their utility bill
and use the energy savings to pay
for the system.”

“We chose to install a solar thermal
hot water system because of its
efficiency and short investment payback,”
says Bob Cabral, general manager/
winemaker at Williams Selyem.
“I would recommend that all homes,
businesses, and wineries seriously
look into this cleaner energy source
as our future. We felt that if everyone
started doing a little

bit at a time, we
could hopefully break the oil usage
cycle and secure a cleaner future for
the next generation.”